This is an RFR fic, which means I will review at least one of your stories if you review this one. See my profile for further details. (Please note, short one-sentence comments do not meet my definition for a review.)
I MIGHT put this in the crossovers section later on, but for now I consider it to be first and foremost a Harry Potter fic.
Voldemort glided down the street. He could have just apparated to his destination, but he had found over the years that most attempts to trap him had relied on the assumption that he would apparate right into them. For this reason he decided to arrive slightly further away from what he was told was the Potter cottage and was now walking the rest of the way. This way he would be able to spot any telltale signs of a trap before he got there. Of course, he had escaped traps before, but it never hurt to be cautious, past success did not always guarantee continued success. Never taking a risk was foolish and a huge sign of incompetence, Voldemort would have destroyed all the Horcruxes himself before he could be credibly accused of such weakness. Still it never hurt to minimize risk. Every time he opened the Chamber of Secrets back at Hogwarts he took a risk, and he would most assuredly have been sent back to the orphanage if he was discovered, or worse, sent to Azkaban.
Voldemort had been waiting for this day (Or night, as was the present case) for a long time now. This one boy he was searching for was supposed to be his ultimate downfall. And while he was not sure the prophecy was true, the very fact that the boy would grow up with such rumours circulating around him made him a huge threat. He remembered as soon as Harry Potter had been identified as the "Chosen One" he personally went to the Potter Manor to end the threat. He found it completely deserted, and almost destroyed it in rage, but thought better of it since it was the ancestral home of a prominent wizarding family. For the next few weeks he had his Death Eaters search tirelessly for them. Of course he instructed them not to try and kill the boy themselves and instead report the location to him. The Potters had proven quite adept at defeating his servants in the past.
The Potters… Those two had been a thorn in his side since they graduated from Hogwarts. He didn't know what made him think recruiting someone like James Potter was practical. While he was at Hogwarts, James had practically terrorized the greatest of the three houses. The main reason was probably because that, despite his status as a Gryffindor, James was still a prominent and talented wizard who had made head boy by the end of his time at Hogwarts. James was EXACTLY the kind of person Voldemort wanted among his followers, especially his inner circle. Voldemort wanted to have as much of the wizarding world on his side as possible. This was not likely to happen if he recruited solely from those who had been in Slytherin. Regardless of their flaws all houses were wizarding houses, students from anyone of them could join his cause as long as they were not part of that pathetic, mundane Muggle world that would have always prevented him from achieving true greatness. This was a war between Wizards and Muggles, yet it was hard to portray it as such when most of his opposition were wizards. Voldemort had wanted to install recruiters within the Hogwarts staff, something that Dumbledore made impossible. This way he would have large reserves of Death Eaters waiting to serve him after they finished Hogwarts. Instead he made do with having recruiters wait at platform 9 ¾ to recruit finishing students. Of course, those he took a particular interest in, Voldemort recruited personally. James Potter was one of them, he did not view the fact that James was a Gryffindor as making him impossible to recruit, he had Death Eaters from all four houses. Of course he would have to romanticise his goals a bit. When James refused Voldemort was not demoralized, naysayers had changed their minds before.
When James joined the Order of the Phoenix Voldemort was disappointed. He considered it a great loss when a talented and prominent wizard came out against him. It only served to disrupt the unification of wizard-kind against the Muggle world. It was sad when people like James Potter decided to defend those whom the universe had deemed unworthy of receiving the gift of magic. All houses had their redeeming qualities, but also, with the exception of Slytherin, had their flaws. Gryffindor's was that most of it's members believed that bravery should be used to protect those with no redeeming qualities. He was almost sure that if James had accepted his offer he would have become a member of Voldemort's inner circle, perhaps even closer to him than the likes of Lucius Malfoy.
Unfortunately that was not to be, James was turning out to be as big an asset to the Order as he would have been to Voldemort. In his first few months James, along with his other "Marauder" friends, had thwarted the Death Eaters at every turn. It disturbed Voldemort that a member of a pureblood family would turn so decisively against all efforts to subjugate the Muggle world. He often pondered the thought process that led to "Muggle loving" in some purebloods. Obviously in cases such as James Potter it was because they "Fell in Love" with Mudbloods like Lily Evans.
Love… Often Voldermort's first assumption would be that he didn't believe in love. This was not true, the strange phenomenon definitely existed, and ensnared far more people than Voldemort would have liked, and the results were often disastrous, especially when it occurred between wizards and Muggles. However he did not "hate" love, he hated it when it occurred between individuals (which was partly why he was still a virgin). In fact, he was partly motivated by love, he loved magic! Magic is the one thing he had any real affection for. Magic had showed him there was far more to life than the various trivialities that infested even the most prominent positions of Muggle life. If it weren't for magic he would have never been more than a footnote in the long, uninteresting, insignificant history of the Muggle world. The very thought of a world without magic was one of the few things that made him shudder.
He wished others could share his attitude, it seems many wizards poured more of their passion into their magical talent rather than their "Special someone". Obviously most wizards took their magic for granted, and devoted more time to seeking a "personal life". If he could only make them see how special their magic made them, they would have no need for love, the solace they took in their gifts would replace any pathetic need for companionship. Obviously this misplaced emotion was responsible for people like James turning against him, but what about other "Blood Traitors" like Sirius Black, he had not fallen in love with any Mudblood yet had still turned bitterly and decisively against any notion of blood purity. Was it perhaps that some were ashamed of their magic? Impossible, not even the most devout Muggle lover would ever forsake their wizardry. Perhaps he would never know the universal cause of blood treachery.
Obviously James's relationship with that Mudblood had been the main cause of his defiance, however the Potters were never ones to appreciate their status as purebloods in the first place.
Voldemort's first indication that James had rejected his offer was when he married Lily Evans. It was not long after that when he first received reports of James fighting alongside Order members. As time wore on, it appeared that James had taken part in every major defeat his Death Eaters had suffered. He was rapidly becoming an icon and things were not helped when word spread that James's newborn son would one day destroy Voldemort.
In truth, Voldemort was half expecting Harry to be a squib, regardless, Voldemort knew that James would fight tooth and nail to protect him, and that was just what Voldemort wanted. Even if Harry Potter turned out to be nothing special at all he still would have ended the threat posed by James Potter. Perhaps he wouldn't have to execute as many incompetent Death Eaters anymore. Indeed, nothing bad could come of this.
Well, technically that wasn't true. Perhaps, though extremely unlikely, James could defeat him, and there was still the danger that it was a trap. Of course, if it WAS a trap he would see to it Peter Pettigrew suffered. Then a thought occurred to Voldemort; What if this whole "Prophecy" was in itself a trap? Spreading the rumour of a child destined to defeat him was one thing that would draw Voldemort into the open. For all he knew, Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix and the entire Auror department were waiting for him at Godric's Hollow. He could almost picture that old fool, with a smug look on his face, making a long, tedious speech in which he addressed him solely as "Tom". Voldemort would of course fight his way out, and hopefully kill that senile Muggle-lover in the process. He still wasn't that worried, he had apparated a few blocks away from the house and during his walk had not encountered any sign of a trap.
Voldemort's thoughts were interrupted when he saw the house come into view. He quickened his pace but slowed down when he notice a Muggle ahead of him walking down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. He wasn't too surprised, he had passed several Muggles all of whom seemed intimidated by his cloaked appearance, much to his amusement. Apparently Muggles viewed black robes and hoods with suspicion, ironic considering many pureblood families. However, this Muggle was different. He was wearing a blue suit, an article of clothing which, from what he understood denoted importance among Muggles. He was also carrying a briefcase. However, the most unusual things about him were his physical features. His skin was unusually pale, abnormally tall and thin, around middle aged, with a short haircut that made his head appear almost flat and green eyes. Unlike the other Muggles he seemed almost uninterested by the cloaked figure he was about to pass. Voldemort felt almost offended that this one Muggle showed no fear whatsoever. He briefly considered stopping to teach him a lesson, but thought better of it, the commotion might alert the Potters to his approach. Just as they were passing the man whispered in a low but raspy voice. "Prepare for unforeseen consequences" the man whispered. That was the last straw for Voldemort. He didn't care if this Muggle didn't know who he was, he would not tolerate such insolence from a Muggle. Did he think this was funny? Voldemort would show him something funny.
Voldemort drew his wand and pointed it at where the Muggle was supposed to be standing. However, the Muggle was gone, vanished without trace, as though he had never been there in the first place.
Voldemort was unsure what to think about this. Was this an indication of the trap he was preparing for? He didn't expect a Muggle to carry reliable information on such issues, that is, if he was a Muggle. Perhaps this was just the muggle's idea of a joke. If Voldemort ever saw the Muggle again he'd teach him his own idea of a joke.
Voldemort decided that the issue currently needed no consideration and continued towards the Potter house.
James shook his head; it looked like Harry had done it again. "What are we going to do with you?" James asked his infant son, who was clinging onto the living room chandelier, crying hysterically. Apparently Harry had gotten hold of James's wand (again) and somehow found himself hanging from the chandelier. Lily was in the kitchen cooking pasta, James told her nothing was wrong, he wanted to have some fun with Harry while he could. "Harry, if you got up there you can get down, now don't be afraid I'll catch you!" James said, holding his arms out invitingly. Harry responded with an even louder wail. James sighed "He's going to end up in Hufflepuff at this rate." James muttered. James watched as the distressed baby kicked his little feet. He knew that if Lily was in his position she would get Harry down then and there, no questions asked. Lily didn't agree with the philosophy of "Learning by experience" she felt that no parent would ever put their child in an uncomfortable position for any amount of time. James however felt that it was the only way they learned anything, and Harry would need to learn courage fast if the prophecy was even slightly true. Of course James believed, wholeheartedly that it was true. Lily, on the other hand, whished with all her heart that the prophecy wasn't true. She hoped every day that they'd receive news that it was all a mistake, and Voldemort would leave them alone. James thought that was a bit naive, as long as James was an order member, Voldemort would still want them dead eventually. James was actually looking forward to raising Harry to fulfil his destiny. Perhaps one day fighting side by side against the Death Eaters. James didn't feel Harry should be frightened of his destiny, but honoured. James would be overwhelmed with pride if he had been prophesized to defeat the Dark Lord. Of course it was a huge responsibility, but it would be well worth the potential rewards. Harry would become a hero someday, he didn't want Lily to make Harry afraid of that, he wanted Harry to embrace it. There would be bumps in the road of course, there always were no matter what you were destined for. In Harry's case these would be larger bumps then usual, but that only meant greater rewards when he crossed them. And as long as Harry had inherited the Potter gene for bravery, there was nothing to worry about.
James was pulled from his thoughts by another wail from Harry. Of course he needed a lot of work. "Guess it's going to be the boring way." James said as he raised his wand. "Accio Harry!" James cried. By an invisible force Harry was pulled off the chandelier and into James's arms. Harry stopped crying almost immediately and cuddled up to James.
"Your time will come, Harry, but for now I think you're a bit too young to play with this" James said waving his wand in Harry's face. Harry responded by burping and cuddling up to James. "I'll take that as an 'Alright Daddy'" James whispered as he deposited Harry on the couch. James sat next to Harry as it looked like he was about to fall asleep.
James pulled Harry onto his lap and continued thinking about his son's future. He couldn't wait to start Harry's training. He would have to start a bit earlier then was usual for most wizards, though Harry would still attend Hogwarts at the same time all other children would. He had already planned most of what he was going to teach Harry: daily practice of defensive spells, Death Eater attack drills, escape via broomstick and of course, occasional tutoring by other Aurors. Naturally James felt he was fully capable of training Harry by himself, however Dumbledore insisted that there were things others could teach Harry. In return Dumbledore stated that there would be an "Auror class" set up at Hogwarts during Harry's term, a class that would be attended only by Harry and other students that held promise. The class would be taught by off-duty Aurors, James however could teach there whenever he pleased. Alastor Moody had suggested eventually Harry learn unforgivable curses, arguing that the fulfilment of Harry's destiny may come down to nothing more than a well-cast killing curse. James knew, of course that they were not going to win this war with stupefy and Expelliarmus spells alone. They never reached a decision on that, both James and Dumbledore decided it would be better to wait until Harry was older.
Lily however seemed more focussed on the present however, refusing to think about anything other than Harry's immediate safety. Lily had suggested moving to America, a country that had the lowest wizarding population in the western world. The wizarding population in America was so low in fact there wasn't even an American Ministry or any wizarding schools. Most American Witches and Wizards never learned their true nature, with only incidents of accidental magic giving them any indication that they were different. Most spent the rest of their lives thinking they were freaks or mutants (A word Muggles used to describe people with "strange" abilities.) Lily felt that it would be very difficult for Voldemort to find them in such an environment. James however felt that Harry may find it hard to associate with a struggle that was taking place far away, especially if he never had much exposure to his own kind. Not to mention the numerous other difficulties it would mean when it came to fulfilling Harry's destiny. Honestly though, he didn't think Lily cared that much for the prophecy, her only interest was in protecting Harry, chosen one or not. Indeed, James found Lily's devotion extremely commendable, however, he didn't think Harry living a life of running and hiding was going to be good in the long term, their job as parents, was not just to protect Harry, but teach him to protect himself. They often had disagreements about it, Lily accused James of ignoring their son's safety based on a questionable prophecy. James, however, thought Lily wasn't giving Harry a chance to grow up, and was putting her own personal fears before the good of the wizarding world. These disagreements didn't seem to be negatively affecting their relationship that much. Though of course, if the argument was going to tear them apart he would concede defeat and take his wife and son to America and that would be the end of it. He had spent all seven years at Hogwarts trying to win Lily's love, he was not about to have any of it undone.
Fortunately, he was sure Lily would soon see things his way, Nothing good was going to come of building a wall around Harry.
James was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw a very familiar figure out the living room window. He leapt of the couch and ran to the window to get a better look. Indeed, walking down their driveway, was the unmistakable black-cloaked form of Lord Voldemort.
"LILY!" James yelled at the top of his lungs.
Lily rushed into the living room from the Kitchen. "James, what's wrong?" Lily asked anxiously.
James turned back to his wife with a panicked expression on his face. "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off" James almost shouted at Lily.
Lily looked as though she was about to die of panic, all their worst fears were coming true. Lily scooped Harry up and looked at James one more time.
"I'll hold him off!" James repeated with greater sincerity before pulling Lily into a kiss. "And don't worry about me, if he thinks he can just push James Potter aside… He's got another think coming!" James whispered to Lily.
Lily nodded tearfully, she had never been more frightened in her life. "I love you!" She sobbed.
"I love you too!" James said before kissing her again. "Now take Harry and run!" James told her.
At that Lily ran up the stairs with Harry. Normally she would have just gone out the back door but there was a port key in their bedroom that would take them straight to Hogwarts. James breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the door of the master bedroom close and turned to face the door. He didn't let thoughts that this might be his last fight enter his mind, such feelings were a severe hindrance in any battle. One thing was for sure though… Lily. He had already spent all his seven years at Hogwarts trying to win her love, he would unleash hell to protect her life. He remembered making Snape's life unbearable just for being his main competitor, he didn't regret it at all, Snape had tried to take Lily from him, he had paid the price. Now Voldemort was going to try and kill her. Therefore James had already decided to use unforgivables, no one would blame him, he would have been protecting his family and destroyed one of the worst Dark Wizards of all time in the process. Voldemort was definitely not going to be greeted with Expelliarmus when he walked through that door.
As if on cue, the living room door was blown off it's hinges and in stepped the shroud-like figure of Voldemort.
"Avada Kedavra!" James shouted as he aimed his wand at the intruder. Voldemort jumped out of the way and the curse crashed into the door frame.
Voldemort appeared stunned for a moment before a cruel grin formed on his face. "Why James, I never knew you had it in you, normally I'd think this was a sign that you were coming around to my way of thinking. Unfortunately, I suspect this is motivated by that all too common disorder known as 'love'." Voldemort said.
"Your damn right it's about love!" James shot back angrily. "If you'd been there while I was at Hogwarts you'd know I'd do anything to protect Lily. What? Didn't anyone ever ask you out at school? Didn't you see anyone else ask someone out? Didn't you grow out of that 'Girls are disgusting' phase? Or were you just too busy learning how to be a colossal arse?" James ranted.
Voldemort sighed. "James, did you ever wonder why I kill so many people? It's because most of the people who oppose me have a large supply of 'loved ones' ready to die for them. If less people 'loved' and just stood aside for me, I wouldn't have to kill so many people, so at the end of the day, more love means more death." Voldemort explained as though he was being interviewed.
James was amazed at Voldemort's twisted logic. "You really have no idea what love's about do you? People oppose you because of how many people you kill. So that means there'll just be more people coming out against you and more people to kill. So it will just be an endless cycle of you creating your own enemies. But at the end of the day, you don't kill people because you have too, you kill them because you're a bastard." James ranted.
Voldemort appeared angered by James's insult but quickly returned to his cruel smile. "Well James, normally I'd tell you that I would spare you and your Mudblood wife if you'd just hand over your son. But in truth you have been a huge thorn in my side ever since you joined the Order of the Phoenix against me. However, I have decided that your troublesome campaign of defiance will come to an abrupt end tonight, and on that note… Avada Kedavra!"
James jumped to avoid the deadly curse, causing it to crash into the couch, engulfing the living room in a hailstorm of feathers. "You're too late, Voldemort!" James announced proudly. "By now Lily and Harry have taken the port key in our bedroom, they're probably miles away from here." James gloated.
"You didn't think I was prepared for you to employ such means of escape?" Voldemort questioned. "I placed anti-apparating and anti-port key charms on this house before I entered. There is no escape for your wife or your son."
James responded with nothing more than another killing curse, which Voldemort avoided, causing it to hit a photo of the Hogwarts Quidditch team when he was its captain. This revelation from Voldemort was not going to phase him, in fact, it would make him fight harder.
The battle between the two wizards raged for what felt to James like an hour, but was probably just a few minutes. Soon there was not one object in the living room that had not been damaged or destroyed. James stood panting for a moment, Voldemort had been hit by flying table debris and James took the moment to gather his breath. Voldemort quickly got up and fired another killing curse at James. James jumped out of the way but lost his footing and fell to the ground. He looked up to find Voldemort pointing his wand down at him triumphantly!
"Beg for mercy?" Voldemort asked mockingly.
James answered by leaping to his feet, pointing his wand at Voldemort and yelling "Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort did the same and soon two deadly spells were racing to kill the other's caster. James realized that he wouldn't dodge Voldemort's spell in time, he didn't care. He would have died defending his family… Defending Lily, that was all that mattered.
However something was wrong, how was he able to think these thoughts? Shouldn't Voldemort's spell have sent him to the next life by now? He stared at the green light that was inches away from his chest and he immediately noticed what was wrong…
It had stopped.
The spell that was meant to end his life had stopped in mid air. He looked around the room to see that his own spell had stopped too and Voldemort was frozen like a statue. This was not right, not right at all, had he cast some sort of freezing charm? Unlikely since such spells only affected a single object. Had he stopped time somehow? Such spells were only legends, though people had been known to discover new spells in the midst of a duel. James wondered if this would be his chance to end Voldemort. The Dark Lord was frozen, completely vulnerable, this could be his only chance.
James raised his wand, only to find his arm to be moving incredibly slowly. His whole body felt heavy and sluggish, as though he was swimming in some sort of thick liquid. He decided rather than use his sluggish momentum to cast a spell that he wasn't sure would work, he would move out of the way of the killing curse in front of him, in case time decided to return to its normal pace.
Once he was out of the way he returned to contemplate striking Voldemort down. It would be so easy, and as long as it was his family at stake, he didn't give a damn about honour. But he wasn't sure the spell would work, his curse was frozen in mid air just like Voldemort's. He decided it was worth a try, he raised his wand and was about to cast the spell that would solve so many problems when he heard a shrill, raspy voice.
"Mr Potter…" The voice drawled. James didn't know where it was coming from, he knew it wasn't Voldemort's. He didn't recognise it at all. He looked around the room to see if he could find who it belonged to. As though answering his thoughts, a tall, slim, pale skinned man in a suit appeared in the doorway. However there was something off about him, he was transparent, almost ghost-like. "I am glad to finally meet you face to face." The ghostly man said as he walked across the battleground of a living room towards James, he noticed the man seemed to become more solid as he did. "Though I do wish it was under different circumstances and at a time of my own choosing. I had hoped I would have had more time to conduct your evaluation, but as you can see circumstances beyond my control have forced me to make a more… immediate decision." The man said. He was now standing a few feet from James and appeared completely solid. He walked over to the frozen form of Voldemort and began examining it as though it were a mildly interesting museum exhibit.
James found this man's personality disturbing, not only was little of what he was saying making any sense, but the way he spoke was unnerving too. His voice was raspy yet commanding. He was placing unusual stress on syllables stressing the wrong parts of words, making unneeded pauses and awkwardly changing the pitch of his voice. James wondered if he was somehow handicapped.
"Who are you?" James asked, trying to make the fact that he didn't trust this man very clear.
"Someone who thinks you are just the man for a job I have to see done." The man answered turning back to James. "I have been observing you for a while, and though I would have liked more time to do so, you have proven yourself to be the best candidate by far. Though I will admit to a small level of hesitation towards approaching you at the present time, I quickly concluded I would never be presented with such an opportunity again."
"What are you talking about?" James asked. "Not to be rude but I really don't have time for-" James was cut off by a blinding flash of light.
"Time, Mr. Potter? We have all the time in the world." James heard the man's voice cut through the blinding light.
The light faded and James was shocked to find they were no longer in the living room of the cottage in Godric's Hollow, but in a compartment of the Hogwarts express. They also seemed to be moving, James recognized the terrain and realized that they were no more than two miles away from Hogwarts. That was when he suddenly realized that if he was here, then Lily was alone in Godric's Hollow with that monster. James looked around the compartment to find the strange man sitting on the seat opposite him, closer to the door.
James stood up and looked down at the man with an expression of pure, murderous, rage. "You get me back there RIGHT NOW!" James commanded.
The man did not seem at all intimidated by James's outburst, in fact he stared at James with an expression that defined smugness. "I'm afraid that would be inconvenient, seeing as we have not yet negotiated the terms of your… employment." The man responded.
James felt as though he was going to grab this man by the neck and throw him off the front of the train. Did this person have a family of his own? A wife? A girlfriend? If he did, maybe he'd understand James's position. "IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER SO HELP ME I'LL-"
"Calm down, Mr. Potter. I am confidant you will see your wife again very soon." The man assured him, causing James to resume his seat while still keeping a murderous gaze on the strange man. "Firstly, I must call attention to the fact that simply by having this conversation, I am acting in the face of objections that you have already served your purpose, and are no longer of any particular importance to anyone." This piqued James's interest. "However, despite their misgivings, my employers are fairly tolerant of my… shall we say… investments. As long as it doesn't affect events which they believe too important for the likes of me to influence, and, of course, that I alone bear sole responsibility for any potential failures, which I assure you are very rare occurrences. They believe that you are nothing but one insignificant element in the development of… well… I'm really not at liberty to say." James's eyes narrowed at this, he was not going to let this… whoever-he-was play games with him. "Still, I am not one to squander my investments, I do believe you will turn out to be worth far more than my employer's initial… appraisal. Though my employer's short-sightedness will not be curing itself in the immediate future, I believe that eventually they will be thankful I had decided to invest in securing your contract." The man said.
Whoever this man was, James was getting tired of him, most of what he was saying did not make sense at all. From what James could understand, this man was trying to offer him a job. James knew he wouldn't be interested, but still felt that all he could do was listen to what the man had to say. This man had somehow been able to transport him from his home to the Hogwarts Express, chances are James couldn't do much to defy him. Then James started to wonder, why were they on the Hogwarts Express? If this man wanted to go to Hogwarts wouldn't he have just transported him into the castle itself? Perhaps he wanted a place to talk with James in private. James also wondered why the Hogwarts Express was running anyway, it was October and all the students were in school by now. Of course, there were other reasons the Express would be heading to Hogwarts, often it was to collect expelled or suspended students, as James knew all too well. He and Sirius had almost gotten expelled in their third year for injuring Horace Slughorn in one of their pranks. They had been framed of course. It involved a spell that caused water to stick to the ceiling, and repeating the same spell again would cause it to un-stick, no matter where you were. James and Sirius had used it on the Slytherin common room in their second year. They stored enough water to fill two prefect's baths on the common room ceiling. they waited until they were back in the Gryffindor dormitory, and with a wave of their wand they went to bed happily knowing that any Slytherin still in their common room was completely drenched. Apparently the Slytherins thought to use the same tactic to discredit them, it almost worked in ways they could never imagine. Water was attached to the ceiling outside Slughorn's office, and dropped when he left. Long story short, he slipped and broke his arm, James and Sirius were blamed. Slughorn forgave them of course, though many teachers felt that it was a sign James and Sirius had no boundaries and were not above attacking teachers. They were both expelled and spent the night waiting on the platform for the Hogwarts Express to take them home. He remembered what would probably have been the worst night of his life in vivid detail:
James and Sirius stood on the same platform they stood on every year they left Hogwarts, they never were happy to leave, but they always took comfort in the fact that they would be back by the end of summer. This time they would not be coming back.
They listened anxiously for the sound of the train, though it seemed more as though they were expecting a hoard of barbarians on horseback to come charging down the tracks.
James noticed Sirius was looking up at Hogwarts… again.
"It's not fair" Sirius spat, staring up at the castle with a mixture of sorrow and spite.
James sighed. "I know" He replied.
"You know we didn't do it, those bloody Slytherins framed us, I swear if I ever meet anyone from that house in my lifetime I'll… I'll…" Sirius looked for the right words.
"You know Sirius, we did spend all our time here breaking almost every rule we could. I think we should have at least considered something like this would happen." James tried to reason with his friend.
"But WE. DIDN'T. DO. IT. PRONGS!" Sirius reiterated.
"We have spent are last two and almost-a-half years at this place making ourselves prime suspects, we should have tried preparing for something like this. People get expelled, Sirius. Just because we've been able to avoid it more times then we can count doesn't mean it never happens. Did we think they were joking when they said we'd get expelled if we stepped too far out of line? We must have, considering we ALWAYS did it. If you want to break rules for the sake of breaking rules that's fine, just be prepared to deal with the consequences, that's what were gonna do." James said. He then straightened his back and continued gazing towards where the Hogwarts express would be coming from.
Sirius stared at his friend with a look of respect James never thought was possible for someone as unruly as Sirius.
"Guess you're right, Prongs." Sirius said as he looked back up at the castle. "But I don't regret any of what I did for a second, and you shouldn't either. If these back-cursing Slytherins were capable of doing something like this… They deserve everything we gave them." Sirius said with an unmistakable tone of bitterness.
"I'll admit I thoroughly enjoyed everything we did to those gits, especially Snivellus, but do you really think it's worth getting expelled over, Padfoot?" James asked his friend. James really wanted to hear Sirius's answer. He knew his friend enjoyed tormenting Slytherins, but he always felt it was more of a hobby.
"Prongs, the fact that we made the most of the time we had here tormenting those greasy gits is the only thing stopping me from climbing the highest tower and threatening to jump unless I was allowed to stay." Sirius responded.
James was surprised. He never realized his friend had such a passionate hatred of Slytherins. Obviously it was because of growing up in an abusive pureblood household. James own hatred of Slytherins came from the fact that Snape was a Slytherin, and Snape had made it frustratingly obvious that he was trying to steal Lily… Lily…
"I'll never see her again…" James said.
"Now Prongs, you don't know that for sure." Sirius reassured him.
"She'll be here for Snape to take as he pleases for four years, she'll forget about me" James pointed out.
"Then you'll just have to remind her, sneak over to her house every summer in your in your animagus form and remind her how much you care." Sirius said raising and lowering his eyebrows suggestively.
James thought for a moment. "You're right, Padfoot. I will do that, maybe pay a visit or two to Snivellus as well, let him know she's doesn't belong to him," James said with a measure of resolve Sirius wasn't quite expecting.
"That's the spirit, mate!" Sirius exclaimed patting his best friend on the back. "Don't let this little expulsion come between you."
James smiled, being expelled was not going to come between him and Lily, he would win her over no matter the cost. However, Lily was not the only concern.
"So…" Sirius began. "What're you gonna do now that it's over?" Sirius asked.
"Depends, If we get a letter I'll probably have to go to a Muggle school. If not, my parents will probably home school me or send me to another wizarding school." James explained. It was not uncommon for expulsion from Hogwarts to be followed by an order from the Ministry banning any use of magic for life. His parents loved him more than anything, but they had very little experience with the Muggle world and would find it very difficult to educate him for it themselves. If he didn't receive a letter his parents would have the choice of home educating him, which would not be too challenging seeing as they were both very experienced wizards, or sending him to another wizarding school. Home schooling was more likely.
"Another wizarding school? Good luck! Hey, maybe it'll actually be open long enough for you to finish your term." Sirius said sarcastically.
James knew what he meant; competitors to Hogwarts had come and gone and most were made up of students who had been expelled from Hogwarts or otherwise unable to attend. No one really wanted to NOT go to or get expelled from a prestigious wizarding school, of course there were exceptions, like Durmstrang. This was partly why he was so dreading attending Muggle school. From what he had seen, Muggle children never seemed as enthusiastic about going to school as wizard children. It was almost as though they subconsciously knew what they were missing. James did not want to spend the rest of his adolescence feeling that way, but the Ministry might not give him a choice. The advantage to being home schooled would be that he was being taught by one of Britain's best living Aurors. Being an Auror was one of two main ambitions, the other was to become a seeker in England's Quidditch team. He had developed a reputation of being one of Hogwarts best seekers, so that greatly improved his chances. The fact that he was expelled from Hogwarts would always make pursuing a career in the wizarding world difficult. For everyone but those who made the most significant of achievements, getting expelled from Hogwarts was a matter of deep disgrace, there had NEVER been a Minister who had not attended Hogwarts.
James looked at Sirius. "What about you, Padfoot? What're you gonna do?" James asked.
"Dunno." Sirius replied absently. "I'll probably get disowned, it was bad enough for my parents that I was sorted into Gryffindor, but now…" Sirius trailed off.
"Don't worry, mate. You can always stay with us, I'm sure I'll be able to convince my parents to take you in." James assured his friend.
Sirius's face lit up. "Thanks, Prongs!" Sirius said. They said nothing for a moment before Sirius spoke up again. "Got to hand it to Moony for not rubbing it in our faces." Sirius remarked.
James nodded. Remus was always nervous about breaking rules, and seemed to be the only one who considered the consequences of their actions. They were very much surprised to not hear any "I told you so" from their friend. They had just entered the common room to collect their belongings and announce they were expelled. Lily, to James' immense sadness, was not in the common room. Remus stared at his friends with a mixture of shock and sadness, he appeared at a loss for words and never uttered a coherent sentence. Peter just sobbed uncontrollably. It was a very emotional moment, as the two marauders said goodbye to everyone in the common room. James had half a mind to search the school for Lily, but McGonagall was waiting outside the common room to make sure they went straight to the Express platform. She saw them down to the platform and instructed them to wait for the express and board it when it arrived. She seemed more disappointed than angry, they had both heard that Dumbledore was considering them as potential recruits for the Order of the Phoenix. However just because they were not going to be attending Hogwarts did not mean they were no longer options. The standard procedure after every expulsion was for the Headmaster to meet with representatives to discuss wheather or not the offence warranted a ban from using magic as well. If Dumbledore really was interested in them as future order members he would probably argue in their favour. However this was not a guarantee, the fact of their expulsion alone may have already caused Dumbledore to lose faith in them.
They had been waiting for almost an hour, and were both sure the train would come down the tracks any minute. Suddenly they heard hurried footsteps behind them and turned to see Professor McGonagall looking out of breath.
"You are no longer expelled." She stated bluntly.
James and Sirius looked at each other and then back at McGonagall. "Really, Professor?" James asked.
"Indeed Mr. Potter, several Slytherins have confessed, and your expulsion has thus been revoked. You may proceed back to Hogwarts where, unless I'm very much mistaken, dinner will be served shortly." McGonagall said as she turned and began walking towards the castle when suddenly she stopped and looked back at the relieved boys. "Unless you rather would leave." She added. Obviously she was worried the boys would see Hogwarts in a different light after they had almost been successfully "framed".
"With all due respect, Professor… Bloody Hell No!" Sirius said as he ran past McGonagall and dashed up to the castle.
McGonagall turned to James. "I hope you can forgive us for this terrible mistake, Mr. Potter. I apologise on behalf of Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the Hogwarts staff for our colossal error in judgement and promise we will do everything in our power to make sure it never happens again." McGonagall explained sincerely.
"Thanks, Professor" James said as he ran back up to Hogwarts.
It turned out Sirius's brother Regulus had overheard a couple of Slytherins bragging about their victory. He reported them, saving the two marauders. After the incident James and Sirius launched a new wave of pranks against the Slytherins, their message was simple "You don't try to get a Marauder expelled… EVER!" James was surprised they nothing similar happened again. He remembered the venomous look Snape gave them when he and Sirius strode proudly back into the great hall. James wondered if this train was on the way to pick up other students in similar predicaments.
The train seemed to be approaching its destination quickly, as he could see the spires of Hogwarts castle in the distance.
James turned back to the mysterious man who was sharing the compartment. He was watching James with a look of amusement, perhaps he had been reading his thoughts?
"Will you listen to my offer?" The man asked.
James scrutinized the man for a few seconds before answering. "Alright, as long as my wife and son are safe." James answered.
The man stood up and smiled with obvious satisfaction. "Very good, Mr. Potter!" The man exclaimed. "As I have already said, I feel you are… destined, for greater things than will initially be attributed to you. By accepting my offer you guarantee yourself a larger role in events to come. Upon accepting agreeing to my terms you will be rewarded with an extended and uninterrupted period of time with your spouse. I will approach you again when I, or more accurately my employers, have need of you to fulfil the terms agreed upon by allowing us to claim ownership of your contract. Until that time, however, you may enjoy a long period of… temporary, premature retirement." The man explained.
James thought for a moment, he desperately wanted to see Lily again, but could this man be trusted. He didn't exactly exude honesty, though James had learned never to judge on first impressions. From what he could understand the man was offering James a chance to spend an "extended period of time" with Lily until he was ready to "cash in" on their agreement.
"How long?" James asked, he was of course referring to how long he would have to spend with Lily.
The man smiled. "I cannot, presently, determine the exact time I will have need of your services, though I am confidant it will be somewhere in the area of seventeen years… Minimum." The man replied.
James raised his eyebrows, patience must have been this one of this man's most notable traits if he was willing to wait that long. At least seventeen years of uninterrupted time with Lily sounded too good to be true. James was about to accept when he realised there were still more questions to be asked.
"What, exactly, are you going to ask me to do?" James asked.
The man's smile faded. Suddenly there was another flash of light and James saw that it was no longer the Scottish countryside rushing past the window, but blackness, with small orbs of light. "I am afraid I can not specify, with any significant degree of certainty, the exact nature of the task I will eventually present you with, though I am confidant you will be more than qualified to complete it, regardless." The man said.
James gazed suspiciously at the man for a moment. "What if I refuse?" James asked.
The man's smile returned. "I highly doubt that is an option you would wish to explore, but the choice is ultimately yours." The man said.
James pondered for a moment. This man had frozen time in Godric's Hollow, transported him halfway across Britain and now transported their whole carriage to Merlin-knows-where. It didn't take too much common sense to see that defying him would probably be futile. Still none of that would matter if the man was threatening his family, but he wasn't. He seemed to be doing the complete opposite, he was offering a chance to see Lily again. Whatever would happen if he refused, he didn't want to spend the rest of his life wondering how different things would have been if he'd just accepted this man's offer.
"Alright…" James murmured barely loud enough for the man to hear.
A very satisfied smirk appeared on the man's face. " Excellent, Mr. Potter!" The man exclaimed. "Follow me!" The man said as he opened the door and left the compartment.
James got up and followed. The orbs of light were still moving past the window. James followed the man to the end of the carriage and saw that it wasn't attached to anything, just moving through the blackness on its own.
The man stopped at the exit to the carriage and turned to James. "I must extend my thanks to you for accepting my offer, you have just prevented months of investment from going to waste. I only ask now that you perform to the best of your abilities when the time comes." The man said.
James wondered what was going to happen next, was there going to be another flash of light? Would he end up arriving at Hogwarts? Would the man turn back time and give James and his family the chance to escape before Voldemort attacked? Would he let James finish off Voldemort?
The man opened the carriage door to reveal a bright green light. "It's time to conclude our business for the immediate future. Just step into the portal to complete the transaction." The man said, gesturing to the green light.
James took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward. He nervously raised his hand to the "portal" and reached inside. He was pulled in and found himself in complete blackness.
"Wisely done, Mr. Potter… Wisely done…" The man's voiced echoed through the darkness.
It was a few minutes before the blackness started clearing and James found himself lying on his back looking up at an orange sky. He got to his feet and looked around, he appeared to be in the countryside, the area around him was littered with large cottages. He could see the sun setting below the ocean so he was obviously near the coast. In all honesty it was beautiful, but where exactly was he? That wouldn't matter in a few seconds.
"JAMES!" He heard the unmistakable voice of Lily yell. James turned and saw the love of his life running towards him from the nearest cottage. At that moment nothing mattered, not Voldemort, not where he was, not the mysterious man who brought him there.
James pushed all distracting thoughts from his mind and ran towards his wife.
NOTE: I know this was not exactly what happened the night the Potters were killed, but please keep in mind there will be many AU elements.
ANOTHER NOTE: Props to anyone who can recognize the "mysterious man".